Happy 59th Birthday, Alfonso Cuarón! Born today in 1961 as Alfonso Cuarón Orozco, this Mexican editor, cinematographer, screenwriter, producer and film director's work has received critical acclaim and many accolades.
He has earned an international reputation for fluid storytelling in a versatile range of genres.
Born in Mexico City, Mexico, Cuarón had grown up in the city as well. From an early age, he yearned to be either a film director or an astronaut. However, he did not want to enter the army, so he settled for directing.
Cuarón didn't receive his first camera until his twelfth birthday, and then immediately started to film everything he saw, showing it afterwards to everyone.
In his teenage years, films were his hobby. Sometimes he said to his mother that he would go to a friend's home, when in fact he would go to the cinema. His ambition was to know every theatre in the city.
Near his house there were two studios, Studios Churubusco and Studios 212. After finishing school, Cuarón decided to study cinema right away.
He tried to study at C.C.C. (Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica) but wasn't accepted because at that time they weren't accepting students under twenty-four years old. Unfortunately, his mother didn't support that idea of cinema.
Despite this, Cuarón studied philosophy in the morning and in the afternoon, he went to the C.U.E.C. (Centro Universitario de Estudios Cinematográficos).
During that time, he met many people who would later become his collaborators and friends.
One of them was Mexican film director, producer, and screenwriter Luis Estrada.
Cuarón also became good friends with Argentinian director, editor, photographer and producer of Mexican cinema Carlos Marcovich and Mexican cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki.
When Estrada directed a short film, Cuarón and Lubezki collaborated on it.
The film was in English, a fact which bothered many teachers of the C.U.E.C. The disagreement caused such arguments that in 1985, Cuarón was expelled from the university.
After Cuarón was expelled, he thought he could never be a director and so went on to work in a Museum so he could sustain his family.
In the early 1980s, Mexican filmmaker José Luis García Agraz and Mexican sound engineer Fernando Cámara.
They went to the museum and made an offer to Cuarón, asking him to work as cable person for Mexican film director Alejandro Pelayo. This would be a job of which was to prove to be Cuarón's salvation.
After this, Cuarón was an assistant director for an Agraz film. as well as numerous other features.
Cuarón later worked as a second unit director and co-wrote and directed some episodes for a Mexican television anthology series.
One New Year's Eve, he decided he would not continue to be an assistant director, and with his brother Carlos started writing what would be his first feature film in 1991.
After the screenplay was written, the problem became how to get financial backing for the film.
I.M.C.I.N.E. (Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografia), which supports movies financially, had already decided which projects it would support that year, much to Cuarón's initial chagrin.
However, the director of one of those already-chosen projects was unable to direct it, so his project was canceled.
Despite this being chosen, there was a lot of tension between Cuarón and the I.M.C.I.N.E. executives.
Nevertheless, after the movie was finished, it was a huge success.
At the 16th Toronto International Film Festival in September of that same year, the film won many awards, and Cuarón started to be noticed by Hollywood producers.
Sydney Pollack ('Tootsie', 'Out of Africa') was the first one to invite Cuarón to shoot in Hollywood. Pollack proposed a feature film to be directed by Cuaón, but the project didn't work and was canceled.
He later moved to Los Angeles, California without anything concrete, and stayed with some friends, as he had no money.
Soon after that, Pollack called him again to direct an episode of the American neo-noir anthology television series Fallen Angels (1993–1995).
That was the first job of which Cuarón had in the United States, and also the first time he worked with Alan Rickman.
After a while, and no real directing jobs, Cuarón wanted to direct something as he needed money. He finally signed a contract with Warner Bros. to direct a film in 1995 and fell in love with it.
He later talked to Warner Bros. and after some meetings he gave up directing 'Addicted to Love' (1997) in order to do the 1995 American family/drama film 'A Little Princess'.
Even though it wasn't a great box office success, the film received two nominations for the Oscars.
This occurred at the 68th Academy Awards in late March 1996. Afterwards, the film also went on to win many other awards.
Cuarón once said of the film "If I would rescue one of my movies, it would be A Little Princess."
After 'A Little Princess', Cuarón developed a project with Richard Gere starring. However, the project was canceled.
Despite this, Cuarón got an offer from 20th Century Fox to direct the modern adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1860 autobiographical social criticism graphic fiction novel of the same name. This was the 1998 American romance/drama film 'Great Expectations'.
Cuarón initially didn't want to direct it but the studio insisted, and in the end, he accepted it. The experience was very painful and difficult for him mainly because there was never a definitive screenplay.
However, it was with 'Great Expectations' where Cuarón (along with Lubezki) began experimenting with long takes.
Cuarón then reunited with Mexican businessman and film producer Jorge Vergara and founded both Anhelo Productions and Moonson Productions.
Three years later, Cuarón directed the first film of which he is best known for co-editing, co-writing (along with his brother Carlos), co-producing and directing.
This was the 2001 Mexican coming-of-age drama/road film 'Y Tu Mamá También' ('And Your Mother Too').
The lives of Julio Zapata (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Tenoch Iturbide (Diego Luna), like those of seventeen-year-old boys everywhere, are ruled by raging hormones, intense friendships, and a headlong rush into adulthood.
Over the course of a summer, the two best friends, while living out a carefree cross-country escapade with a gorgeous older woman named Luisa Cortés (Maribel Verdú), also find connection with each other, themselves and the world around them.
The film is set in 1999 against the backdrop of Mexico's political and economic realities, specifically at the end of the uninterrupted seven decades of presidents from the Institutional Revolutionary Party and the rise of the opposition led by Mexican businessman and politician Vicente Fox.
On a budget of $5 million, 'Y Tu Mamá También' grossed $33.6 million at the box office.
The following year, the film was nominated an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. However, it didn't win. This occurred at the 74th Academy Awards in late March 2002.
Two years later, Cuarón directed the 2004 fantasy/adventure film 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'.
It was based on British writer and philanthropist J.K. Rowling's third book in her Harry Potter series, being the 1999 fantasy fiction novel of the same name.
Interestingly enough, Cuarón had never read any of the Harry Potter books when he was offered to direct the third installment of the film series.
Two years later, Cuarón co-edited, co-wrote, co-produced and directed the second film of which he is best known.
This was the 2006 American/British/Japanese sci-fi/thriller film 'Children of Men'. The screenplay was based on P. D. James' 1992 science fiction dystopian novel of the same name.
On a budget of $76 million, 'Children of Men' only grossed $70 million at the box office. Despite this, the film received critical acclaim.
The film used several lengthy single-shot sequences in which extremely complex actions take place.
The longest of these are a shot in which Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey) gives birth (199 seconds; 3:19); an ambush on a country road (247 seconds; 4:07).
Another scene was where Theo Faron (Clive Owen) is captured by the Fishes, escapes, and runs down a street and through a building in the middle of a raging battle (378 seconds; 6:18).
These sequences were extremely difficult to film, although the effect of continuity is sometimes an illusion, aided by CGI effects.
Cuarón's style of long takes was influenced by the 1976 Swiss drama film 'Jonas qui aura 25 ans en l'an 2000' ('Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000'), a favorite of his.
One year later, 'Children of Men' won two BAFTA Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Production Design. This occurred at the 60th British Academy Film Awards on February 11, 2007.
Two weeks later, the film was nominated three Oscars for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Best Cinematography, and Best Editing. However, the film didn't win. This occurred at the 79th Academy Awards on February 25, 2007.
In 2008, Cuarón was a Member of the jury at the 61st Cannes Film Festival in May of that same year.
Cuarón was later attached to direct 'Life of Pi' (2012). However, due to the production of 'Children of Men', he had to step aside the director's chair.
Jean-Pierre Jeunet ('Delicatessen', 'Amélie', 'A Very Long Engagement') and then finally Ang Lee ('The Wedding Banquet', 'The Ice Storm', 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon', 'Brokeback Mountain') replaced him.
Cuarón was also later considered to direct 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' (2013), as well as 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales' (2017).
Besides 'Catching Fire' going to someone else, Cuarón instead co-edited, co-wrote (along with his son Jonás), co-produced and directed the third film of which he is best known.
This was the 2013 British/American/Mexican American sci-fi/thriller film 'Gravity'. On a budget of $100–130 million, the film grossed $723.2 million at the box office.
The following year, 'Gravity' won six BAFTA Awards, including Best British Film, Best Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Original Music, Best Special Visual Effects and Best Sound. This occurred at the 67th British Academy Film Awards on February 16, 2014.
Two weeks later, the film won seven Oscars for Best Directing, Best Cinematography, Best Music (Original Score), Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing. This occurred at the 86th Academy Awards in early March 2014.
In the April 2014 edition of Time, Cuarón was placed on their 100 Most Influential People in the World list.
In 2016, 'Children of Men' was voted #13 among one hundred films considered the best of the 21st century by one hundred and seventeen film critics from around the world.
Two years later, Cuarón directed the fourth and final film of which he is best known for co-editing, shooting, writing, co-producing and directing. This was the 2018 Mexican black and white drama film 'Roma'.
On a budget of $15 million, 'Roma' only grossed $5.1 million at the box office. The film is a semi-autobiographical take on Cuarón's upbringing in the Colonia Roma neighborhood of Mexico City.
Set in 1970 and 1971, it follows the life of live-in housekeeper Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio. She is one of two domestic workers of whom helps Antonio (Fernando Grediaga) and Sofía (Marina de Tavira) take care of their four children in Mexico City.
However, complications soon arise when Antonio suddenly runs away with his mistress and Cleo finds out that she's pregnant.
When Sofía decides to take the kids on vacation, she invites Cleo for a much-needed getaway to clear her mind and bond with the family.
One year later, 'Roma' became the first Mexican entry to win Best Foreign Language Film, and also won for Best Cinematography and Best Director.
The film then became the first foreign language film to win in the last category, as well as marking the first time a director won Best Cinematography for his or her own film. This occurred at the 91st Academy Awards in late February 2019.
It was also tied with Yorgos Lanthimos' 'The Favourite' (2018) as the most-nominated film of the show, and with 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' (2000) for the most Academy Award nominations ever received by a non-English language film.
Cuarón is one of the few directors who has directed films that have received all five modern MPAA ratings.
In the last case, 'Y Tu Mamá También' surrendered the said rating of NC-17 and was released unrated in the United States.
Cuarón has directed three actresses to Oscar nominations: Sandra Bullock and Mexican actresses Yalitza Aparicio, and Marina de Tavira.
Cuarón has been nominated for eleven Academy Awards and won five, including two Best Director awards.
He is also one of only ten directors to win the Golden Globe, Director's Guild, BAFTA, and Oscar for the same film, and the first to have done this twice. This was for 'Gravity' (2013) and 'Roma' (2018).
To date, Cuarón is only one of four people to have won the Best Director Oscar more than once without any of those films having won the Oscar for Best Picture.
He has been nominated in six different categories at the Academy Awards: Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Screenplay, winning Oscars in the first three categories.
According to his personal life, Cuarón has been married twice and has three children. He is also a fan of Tim Burton ('Batman', 'Edward Scissorhands').
He is friends with directors Guillermo del Toro ('Pan's Labyrinth' 'The Shape of Water'), Mira Nair ('Monsoon Wedding'), Alejandro G. Iñárritu ('Amores Perros', 'Babel' 'Birdman', 'The Revenant'),Terry Gilliam ('Brazil'), and Irish screenwriter and director Terry George.
Cuarón, along with del Toro and Iñárritu, are known as “The Three Amigos” in Hollywood. Each had collected five director awards in the last six years.
One of the trademarks of Cuarón's films includes frequently casting Lubezki as his director of photography.
Cuarón's other trademarks include often using relentlessly moving camera work, using hand-held cameras, the use of long continuous and digitally blended shots, using wide camera angles, and flashes the title of the film both at the beginning and at the end of all of his films when directing.
Among the most successful and talked-about Mexican filmmakers of his generation, Cuarón has shown a remarkable versatility, able to embrace old-school Hollywood elegance as well as rough-edged and darker-themed contemporary stories.
Nicknamed Alfie, Cuarón has been active from 1981–present.
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